The Canterbury Tales: The
Franklin
Amanda Rizzo
Dr. Pedersen
25 February 2015
Chaucer
The Franklin ("Free Man")
• Lily-white beard
• Healthy red complexion
• Dagger and purse made out of silk and
hung from white belt
• Ideal Host- “son to Epicures” (a Greek
philosopher who believed that the best way
to live life was to seek pleasure)
• Landowner
o Didn't serve a lord
o Not of nobility, but surrounded self with
luxury and wealth
• Optimistic and Generous
o always shared his food
• Gluttonous over food and wine
o Table always ready for food
Arveragus “Knight”
• Knight- “A knight once
lived and served
laboriously / A lady in the
best way that he could”
(730-1).
• Lord- “In servitude? No,
he was lord above, / As he
had both his lady and his
love—” (795-6).
• Man of Chivalry
• Man of Honesty
• Brave Man Indeed
• Man of Honor
Dorigen “Knight’s Wife”
•
•
Beautiful and of high rank-“As
lovely as any under the sun / This
lady was, and of high birth as
well,” (734-5).
Emotional-“(Dorigen) Who
loved him in her heart as much as
life…” “…She mourned and
wailed, she fasted, lost her rest”
(816-19).
Aurelius “Squire”
• “One livelier and brighter in
array, than is the month of May...
/ …He better sang and danced
than any man / Who is or was
since this whole world began… /
Among the fairest men alive; a
strong / Young man, right
virtuous, one rich and wise, / One
loved and well esteemed in
others' eyes” (926-34).
Scholar “Law Student”
• Pities Aurelius and helps
him “clear” the rocks
with his magic.
• Tells Aurelius he must
repay him with a
thousand pounds, if not
some more.
Prologue
- Before beginning his story, Franklin shares
that this tale is originally a Breton tale.
- Claims to be a “burel man” (unlearned man)
- Franklin warns others about his poor story
telling skill as he has “never studied
rhetoric.”
- He also apologizes that he will have to
express the tale in a simple and plain manner.
Summary
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Begins by telling the others he will be telling an old story
About: a knight, Arveragus, who loved a woman, Dorigen
Dorigen agrees to marry him and have an equal marriage
Arveragus leaves for Britian for 2 years— leaving Dorigen
devastated and depressed
Dorigen’s friends attempt to cheer her up—but fail
Dorigen-fears dangerous rocks in the sea by her home
Dorigen- courted by a Squire, Aurelius—whom she rejects
and he becomes upset
Agrees, jokingly, to be with him if he can remove all the
rocks on the coast of Brittany.
Averagus returns home from his voyage of 2 years
Summary Continued
• Aurelius lay in torment, and without comfort – except, that is
for his brother, a clerk, who suggested that he meet a student of
law at Orleans who was versed in the sciences of illusion and
magic
• The scholar, or law student, agrees to “remove” the rocks as
long as Aurelius pays him a thousand pounds, Aurelius accepts
• With rocks “removed,” Dorigen realizes she must kill herself
for being unfaithful to her husband
• Dorigen tells the truth to Averagas-He insists she fulfill her
promises, so she does
• Aurelius decides not to force her to keep her promise
• Scholar, decides to forgive the money owed to him by Aurelius
Themes
• Chivalry- Aurelius realizes Dorigen and Averagus are truly in love. Set aside his
own desires to allow the couple to remain together
• Greed- The squire wants a woman who is not rightfully his, the magician
initially wanted a large sum of money for helping the squire, Arveragus would
let another man have his wife, and Dorigen considered upholding her promise,
even though that would betray her husband.
• Selflessness- Student-magician appreciates Aurelius’ act of chivalry to Dorigen,
and Arveragus cancels enormous debt out of goodness. “Do good, receive good.”
• Suicide- “Now since these maidens showed such scorn outright / Of being
defiled to make man’s foul delight, / Well ought a wife rather herself to slay /
Than be defiled, I think, and so I say” (690).
• Love- Dorigen and Aruelius were married and in love.
• Promises- Dorigen promised to always be faithful to her husband Arveragus in
marriage. She also promised her love to Aurelius if he completed her wishes.
• Others: Honesty, Honor, Lust, Marriage, and Trust.
*Critical Thinking Time*
So far, I have mentioned three of the
deadly sins, love, lust, and greed. Can
you recall another one, that I
mentioned in the beginning of my
presentation, which also fits into a
theme of The Franklin’s Tale?
Gluttony
The Franklin is a gluttonous man
because he overindulges in food and
wine.
Metaphors
• “And truly the craft of man’s hand had so curiously arrayed
this garden that never was a garden of such beauty, unless it
would be paradise itself” (912).
• “Upon this dance, among other men, there danced before
Dorigen a squire who was fresher and more joyful in apparel
than is the month of May, I believe” (942).
• “…and die he must, he said, as did Echo for Narcissus 14,
who dared not tell her woe” (959).
• “He carried it under his breast more secretly than Pamphilus
carried his love for Galatea 22” (1115).
• “His breast was whole, to outward view, but ever in his heart
was the keen arrow 23” (1115).
Allusions
• Moon and Lunar phases (1130-1131)- “Touching on the eight and twenty
stations / Or mansions of the moon”
• Bretons (Britouns)- inhabitants of Brittany in France.
• Mount Parnassus (Parnaso)- home of the Muses.
• Cicero (Scithreo)- the Roman orator and writer.
• Echo / Narcissus (Ekko / Narcisus)(951-2) Echo, whose love for Narcissus
was not returned; she yearned for him until nothing was left but her voice.
• Apollo- the god of the sun.
• Luna the Serene (Lucina the Sheene)- the goddess of the moon.
• Delphi (Delphos) (1076)- the home of the oracle of Delphi, who issued
prophecies.
• Alnath (1281)- a star in the constellation Aries.
• Dorigen's Lamentations (1397-1455)- a recitation of women, most of whom
took their own lives rather than disgrace themselves.
• “Son to Epicures”- a Greek philosopher who believed that the best way to
live life was to seek pleasure.
Moral
• Never make a promise you do not intend to keep.
• For example: “But now, Upon my faith, you'll be true to your vow!
/ As surely as may God be kind to me, / Dead from a stabbing I
would rather be, / Because of this deep love I have for you, / Than
see you to your promise be untrue. / A vow's the highest thing that
one may keep” (1773-9).
• Quote explained: Arveragus, the knight, tells his wife to keep her
promise because he would rather suffer than to have her break her
word.
• Another example: “I’d rather suffer woe my whole life through /
Than to divide the love between you two. / So, madam, I release
you here and now, / Returning to your hand each oath and vow…”
(1330-33).
• Quote explained: Aurelius is pleased that she has kept her promise
to him, although he would rather her return to her husband and
keep her marriage promises, than to have her break one.
Personal Evaluation
– I thought this tale was intriguing because it displays a
sense of humanity.
– Humanity is an important value held by very few people.
– Having this value shows a natural human nature to be
compassionate for other people rather than oneself.
– I also like the aspect of honesty, truth, and promises.
– For example: Once Dorigen is honest with her husband by
telling the truth, Arveragus tells his wife Dorigen that she
must keep her word, or promise, to Aurelius.
– I feel that honesty, trust, and promises mean the world to
many, especially myself.
– Therefore, I enjoyed that this tale taught the lesson to
always keep a promise and be honest.
Last Hoorah of Critical Thinking
• The Franklin ends with the question:
“To you this question, lords, I now address: /
Which one of them showed greatest nobleness? /
Give me your thoughts before we further wend. /
That's all I have, my tale is at an end” (1621-4).
• How would you answer this question?
• Why do you think the Franklin told this kind of
story?
An Entertaining, 7 Minute Clip
https://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=LdTKmlbzKkg
References
• Chaucer, Geoffrey, and Gerald NeCastro. “The
Franklin’s Tale” 2007. Web. 21 Jan. 2015.
• Foster, MS. "The Franklin's Tale - Animated."
YouTube. 15 Nov. 2012.Web. 16 Feb. 2015.
• "From Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales",
The Knight's Tale, Lines."From Geoffrey Chaucer's
"The Canterbury Tales", The Knight's Tale, Lines.
Web. 18 Feb. 2015.
• Google-images.com
• Pedersen, Dr. James. "Characters from
Prologue." Felician College. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.